National Forest Woodland Advisor

The role involves joining the National Forest team to help grow and connect the National Forest for Wales. This is an opportunity to work with farmers, landowners, communities, forestry professionals, and partners across Wales, supporting the creation, enhancement, and sustainable management of woodlands that deliver lasting benefits for people, nature, and the economy.

The post holder will act as a trusted adviser and first point of contact for stakeholders seeking guidance on woodland creation, woodland management, public access, and community engagement. Working across a diverse range of projects, the role will help identify opportunities for new National Forest sites, provide advice on funding and best practice, and support the development of high-quality woodland creation and management plans.

This role offers a unique blend of relationship building, project management, and problem solving. The post holder will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, helping to navigate complex issues, influence positive outcomes, and develop innovative approaches that support the sustainable management of Wales' natural resources. No two days are the same, and the role provides the opportunity to make a visible and lasting contribution to one of Wales' most ambitious environmental programmes.

This post is fixed term until 31/03/2027 with the possibility of extension or permanency. A full, current UK driving licence is essential for this role, as regular travel to sites across the South Central area is required. As an organisation, we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office within the location above, and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Rhodri Hewitt. Interviews will take place on the week commencing 30/11/2026 through Microsoft Teams.

At Natural Resources Wales, you'll find a rare opportunity to do meaningful work that makes a real difference to Wales' environment, communities, and future generations. We are responsible for looking after Wales' natural resources, helping to ensure they are managed sustainably for the benefit of both people and nature.

The National Forest team is at the heart of one of Wales' flagship environmental initiatives. Working collaboratively with landowners, communities, public bodies, forestry professionals, and Welsh Government, the team is helping create a connected network of woodlands across the nation that enhances biodiversity, tackles climate change, improves public access, and supports local economies.

This is a welcoming and supportive team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional development. The work is varied, engaging, and highly rewarding, offering the chance to build relationships across sectors, influence environmental outcomes at a national scale, and contribute to projects that leave a lasting legacy for Wales. Combined with flexible working arrangements and a strong commitment to staff wellbeing and development, this is an opportunity to be part of something genuinely unique.

What you will do:

• Engage and enthuse new and existing stakeholders including farmers, communities, and landowners from across Wales on how new woodland can deliver their aspirations while also delivering multifunctional benefits to the environment, society, and the economy.
• Provide advice to comply with regulatory requirements, source funding streams, and promote best practice for woodland management and creation.
• Support landowners and forestry agents in identifying consultees, sources of information, and relevant contacts to facilitate the preparation of high-quality UKFS compliant woodland creation design plans and woodland management plans.
• Act as the point of contact for National Forest proposals and queries.
• Proactively deal with complex and contentious issues relating to people and woodland interests, leading to the delivery of project outcomes and development of work areas as necessary.
• Advise on recommendations for additional National Forest sites outside of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate through a mixture of enhancement and new woodland creation.
• Liaise with relevant NRW staff regarding interactions between teams to ensure the timely and effective delivery of project, policy, or strategy obligations.
• Support engagement with sectors, partners, Welsh Government, Llais Y Goedwig, Farming Connect, and other stakeholders in Wales; and be the lead point of contact for customer queries.
• Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post.
• Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post.
• Be committed to your own development through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

Your qualifications, experience, knowledge, and skills:

• Knowledge and experience of forestry/woodland creation/public access/community engagement at all stages of project development from inception to delivery.
• Ability to communicate effectively with external stakeholders and the public, explaining complex issues and gaining support by influencing.
• Member of a relevant professional body or visible commitment to your own CPD (or be prepared to join).
• Proven project management experience.
• Able to work well as part of a team and lead virtual task groups.
• Experience of managing contentious issues and community liaison and public engagement activities.
• Strong and effective self-management, organisational, and interpersonal skills.
• Able to analyse complex information and situations, solve problems, and make sound judgements.
• Able to write clear and concise documents.

Welsh Language level requirements:

Essential: Level A1 - Entry level Welsh language levels. Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement, i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.

Additional Information:

• Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check.
• Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.
• Natural Resources Wales is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position.

Benefits:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme).
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days.
• Generous leave entitlements for all your life needs.
• Commitment to professional development.
• Health and wellbeing benefits and support.
• Weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose.

We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equal opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.

We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on a variety of topics, stay current in their field, and continue to learn as their career progresses.

We are a bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop, and use their Welsh language skills. You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English, and any application submitted will be treated equally.

Applications are welcome from individuals who want to work full-time, part-time, or job share. Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the closing date to apply.